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The Italian luxury brand, Dolce and Gabbana, is facing a billion dollar backlash from China after Dolce & Gabbana posted video clips on Instagram mocking a Chinese woman seen struggling to eat pizza, spaghetti, and other Italian foods with her chopsticks.In addition to the culturally insensitive ad, the Instagram account also had five smiling poo emojis used to describe China as a pile of excrement.

Italy had always been dear to my heart as I love art, fashion, and culture. When it comes to design, aesthetics, and hand-made craftsmanship, the Italian heritage had no equal. Authenticity, quality, and prestige were part and parcel to the “Made in Italy” moniker. But this legacy is being challenged as the global appetite for luxury goods increases and companies strive to meet these demands by any means necessary.

Gone are the days where Italian handbags, shoes, belts and other specialty items were produced by local, Italian artisans. Instead, the reality of a label stating “Made in Italy” has numerous implications. On the most egregious end, it may be a product made in another country. Continue Reading

They’re teased for being virgins (“virgin-shaming”). This is a new societal shift that has radically changed within the past two decades. It wasn’t long ago when you may have been shamed for being sexual outside of marriage, now you’re shamed if you haven’t had sex before marriage. Think about the 2005 movie, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, where the main character is encouraged by his friends to lose his virginity as an objective unto its own. Now retitle it, The 20-Year-old Virgin, to reflect today’s societal pressure of what age it means to be considered sexually mature. In short, the worldview is if you haven’t had sex by 30, you must be not only sexually inadequate, defective, and inept but also socially.

They’re also teased or bullied for being socially awkward or being different. This oftentimes can be due to physical disabilities, physical characteristics Continue Reading

In traditional counseling trainings, trauma is somewhat limited. Part of this is due to the narrow viewpoint of the decision-makers who are responsible for creating the parameters around trauma.

While neglect, abuse, divorce, death, and a myriad of other family and relational dynamics encompass trauma, no one has ever explicitly stated that the process of immigrating, transitioning, and learning to become American can be a traumatizing experience.